The EnsayBabka story
Dennis Hipolito has a sweet tooth and is well accustomed to a sweet life. A dentist who gave up the dental chair to pursue culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York, he rose to become a pastry chef.
His passion for pastries is so unstoppable that he and his sister Yvette Hipolito, also a pastry chef, put up Joconde, a home-based bakeshop in Bulacan, almost 20 years ago. And for two decades, they have served sweet confections.
While jogging and brisk walking on Orchard Road at 4:30 in the morning one day — Dennis has been in Singapore for 13 years now as Yum!’s culinary head of Pizza Hut Asia Pacific and once a part of the R&D team of KFC and Taco Bell — a spark of genius breezed in. The Lion City was still asleep but he was wide awake, imagining the smell of his grandmother’s ensaymada and with it came a thousand and one happy memories of childhood. He also imagined the scent of freshly baked babka, a sinful bread filled with moist swirls of chocolate filling, which he devoured with gusto when he attended culinary schooling in New York, and with it came the many joys he spent in the kitchens of CIA.
Those imaginings gave birth to EnsayBabka, a sweet creation that tastes divine. One slice is a taste of a happy childhood, a taste of heaven on earth.
“Growing up, I’ve witnessed my lola make the fluffiest, softest and most delicious ensaymada that’s shared with lucky family members and friends on special occasions. Creating it required a painstaking and nurturing process. Through time, I’ve tweaked the recipe over and over to achieve what I think is the perfect ensaymada,” he tells the author.
He adds, “While attending school in upstate New York, and the weekend trips to New York City started my love affair with babka. It is in the city where I explored the different varieties (of babka) and identified my favorites amongst the lot.”
He combined ensaymada and babka to come up with EnsayBabka, an indulgent mix of cultures. Ensaymada is the base and the babka swirls accent the yummy flavor. It’s heritage, nostalgia and “craveable goodness” rolled into one.
“The philosophy (behind EnsayBabka) is to create an original new product and create iterations of it and offer new flavor variants both savory and sweet or both, every two months. Another differentiating feature is an awesome packaging to go with it that is inspired by the Filipino intricate lacy pastillas wrapper as well as inspirations of old school New York and Parisian chic, using awesome color combinations,” he says.
This early, the December/January flavor of Salted Egg and Yema EnsayBabka is being prepared. This flavor brings joy to the palate because it is part Christmas and part summertime and in-between are the blends of sweet, indulgent delights.
“Having the EnsayBabka would be a totally new and exciting experience. I’ve taken the best of both products and molded them into one, highlighting each important attribute such as the fluffiness and moistness of the buttery ensaymada as well as the gooey filling experience one gets to experience while having the babka,” Dennis ends.
(Follow @EnsayBabka on Instagram and Facebook for more information.)
International Bazaar:
Where the world comes to shop
Get into a tizzy as you indulge yourself shopping for the best and yummiest products the world has to offer at the International Bazaar on Nov. 20 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. From wine to wedges, steaks to saris, cheeses to chestnuts, religious articles to recreational devices and everything your heart desires — the International Bazaar has them all.
Two years after it was halted by the pandemic, the famous bazaar is back with the same assurance that every shopper will have a delightful experience as he or she visits the stalls of different countries. Gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. As is the experience in the past bazaars, the stalls are almost empty before lunchtime.
The International Bazaar Foundation, Inc (IBF), in cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Diplomatic and Consular Corps of the Philippines, and Spouses of the Heads of Mission (SHOM), is in charge of the famous bazaar.
Pamela Louise Manalo, IBF chairperson and wife of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, said at the recent press do: “Established in 1966, the IBF is a non-profit fundraising institutional foundation. Now in its 56th year, the IBF remains committed to its vision of assisting disadvantaged sectors of the population through charitable activities, as well as fostering stronger bonds within the diplomatic community in Manila. The International Bazaar is one of the most anticipated bazaars that usher in the start of Christmas festivities.”
The annual International Bazaar enjoys the participation of the diplomatic community as well as Filipino product exhibitors. According to IBF executive director Nora Salazar, participating countries this year include Angola, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Cambodia, China, European Union, Finland, France, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Uruguay.
Salazar added, “All proceeds from the annual bazaar will be earmarked for IF and SHOM charity projects. The funds that IBF will raise from the proceeds of the International Bazaar will go towards various projects including scholarships for indigent students. The foundation has granted more than 500 scholarships over the years and currently has 55 active scholars.”
Angola Consul Helen Ong, who serves as vice chairman of the foundation, said, “The IBF also supports livelihood projects for distressed communities and victims of calamities. It also provides financial and in-kind assistance to the elderly, and to abused and abandoned children; and assists other civic organizations, medical institutions, and NGOs in providing medical care to children, persons with disabilities, the homeless, and other deserving groups.”
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